Surviving the Flier

Based on numerous interviews, letters, official reports and logs from the Navy, in addition to the unpublished memoirs of the main character, Surviving the Flier tells the story of the only submariners to escape their sinking submarine, elude capture by the enemy, and return home during WWII. 

Submarines were the most dangerous branch of the Navy in WWII, killing one out of five men who volunteered. When USS Flier exploded and disappeared in seconds, only a handful of her men were given a second chance to escape those odds.  Determined to become the first to return home despite the enemy patrols scouring the islands for Allied soldiers and sailors, these men swam for hours in shark infested waters, built shelters and rafts, and stumbled on hidden intelligence networks and guerrilla warriors working to bring down the Japanese regime from the inside.

Who they met and what happened to their boat would remain a closely-guarded secret for decades.  Even the family members of the lost crew could not be told details of the final seconds of Flier's life and why only these eight men returned.

The first book from submarine enthusiast R.J. Hughes, this work combines expert research with the flair for storytelling she honed while working in a WWII museum leading tours, and designing exhibits.